As everyone knows, Italy is one of the most important and popular countries from the point of view of world tourism. Each region of Italy has its own beauty, history, and culture. If you want to go on a cultural journey in the Mediterranean heat, then you are in the right place! Let’s discover the Puglia Area, which takes part of the heel of the boot, a zone surrounded by the sea on three sides.
Since the Puglia region is the southernmost part of Italy, it can be said that it has a fairly warm climate in winter. On the other hand, summertime is so hot! It is your choice which season to visit Puglia, but it has a beautiful and relaxing ambience in every season. Puglia is very different in every sense from classical Italy (such as Rome, Venice, Italy). Since it is not accompanied by an influx of tourists, the public also welcomes you very nicely, and the prices are also very affordable compared to the North. Now, I will introduce you to several points to visit in the Puglia region!
Matera
Firstly, we took the road from Terranova da Sibari to the Puglia area with the car which we rented. While we were going to the Puglia Area, our first stop was in Matera which is located in the Basilicata Region. We can refer to Matera as the Cappadocia of Italy! The Matera city with thousands of years of history was able to take its place in the history books, while ages lived in poverty and hardship, migrations witnessed despite all this, then it stood up again and became the European capital of culture in 2019. Moreover, it was included in UNESCO in 1993. Matera is one of the rare places in the world where life goes on continuously, and the people of Matera have been living in the area where their ancestors lived for thousands of years and they boast of the houses used by their ancestors.
Matera is a place which charmful with its mystical atmosphere, especially with its baroque-style churches. Churches and houses carved into the rocks that have survived to the present day from the XVIII century. Matera and its ambiance present you a magnificent landscape and feeling of being lost in the old days. In the gorgeous view you should take a picture with your friends as we did!
Of course, Matera has many more places to be discovered and explained. This article is based only on our discovery and experience ! You will find more, no doubt. Yes, after this lovely and nostalgic stop, we continued to take the road again. Our second stop is Taranto!
Taranto
Taranto is definitely a port city. When you step into the city, the fact that the city is surrounded by the sea and the shores is one of the biggest features of it. It is also the center of the province of Taranto, an important military base and an important commercial center. After this information, I can mention which places we have seen. First of all, the magnificent castle which is near the sea meets you. It was built on the site of ancient fortification walls dating back to the Greek occupation in the third and fourth centuries.
At the same time, the bridge called “Ponte Girevole” which is next to the castle, connects the old and new city. It is really very pleasant to walk on this bridge, the view is worth visiting. And also, you can take some photos on the bridge with the magnificent landscape. And then, we walked around the center of the city. Unifying with the historical texture of the city and the atmosphere given by the port city, it offers visitors a sincere ambience.
Alberobello
Then we continued on our way to see Alberobello and Ostuni. Alberobello, also known as the Town of Smurfs, which is located 45 minutes south of Bari from the sea coast, is popular in Puglia. Trulli houses, inspired by the houses of Harran in Turkey, are a beautiful town that can impress everyone. And you can feel that as if they sprang from a fairy-tale land and cartoon movie. We can also call it a unique and fascinating open-air museum. Competing with the Seven Dwarfs or Smurfs, Alberobello is the first tourism-oriented and well-known town in the entire region with its cute houses.
The story of the houses is in this way; 14th of the century, a brilliant idea comes to the mind of the people who are tired of taxes. They tried to do something by demolishing their houses and putting stones on top of each other to escape the taxes that are randomly taken from each house. When the taxmen come, they think that all the houses have been destroyed, and that there has been a disaster, and they haven’t thought that people live in the superimposed stone structures. And so the public is exempt from taxes. Alberobello means beautiful tree and you really find yourself in this beauty when you visit this village. It is so pleasant to walk around the village that you get caught up in the ambience of the environment. Besides, when the blue of the sky and the whiteness of the houses combine to create a very beautiful landscape, do not forget to take a photo with this splendid landscape!
Ostuni
As for me, Ostuni is one of my favourite places after Alberobello ! Ostuni is one of the most impressive places in Southern Italy. Ostuni is known as La Città Bianca, the Ostuni is known as La Città Bianca, the ‘‘white city’’, with its dazzling whitewashed houses, interesting streets reflecting Mediterranean architecture. On a plain surrounded by olives and vineyards, it shines like a pearly white crown stationed on a hill overlooking the sparkling Adriatic Sea. If a pearly defines a city, I think Ostuni will be one of the cities where it will find the best meaning. It is a pleasant city to walk through its cobbled streets lined with dazzling white buildings. The main square of the city, Piazza Della Libertà, freedom square, is lively with many delicious and beautiful restaurants and cafes. Freedom Square and its surroundings are built on a relatively flat area. The Ostuni town hall or the Ostuni Cathedral adorns the square with its magnificent architecture.
When I walk through the streets of the city, it is impossible not to think about which of the streets I should enter, because each street is beautiful and worth seeing. In this city, a different level layout was formed around the magnificent Gothic cathedral within the magnificent defensive walls, and then connected by stairs, small roads, narrow streets and arches, and completed.
It is quite possible to feel like you are traveling in Greece while walking through the small narrow, white cozy streets of Ostuni. It hasn’t used white exteriors only for aesthetics, which was used to protect against plague and epidemic diseases that appeared in the 17th of the century, covered the entire town with a white cover and gave it its present appearance today.
For me, it is very enjoyable to visit the streets and cities with such stories. In particular, getting lost in the narrow and white streets of Ostuni reminded me of fairy tales. I have come to the end of my summer, there is more to discover in this region. I just wanted to tell you a little about my own travel story. If you want to visit the Puglia region, don’t hesitate to take the road. Puglia shines like a pearl in the south of Italy, discover this shining pearl just like us!
Author: Hazal